[edit: in retrospect, I feel like an idiot for making the post below, and wish I did not make it back then. It's besides the point.]

Note: I'm not intending to send a false signal/"game the system" or anything - rather - I'm just trying to send them the true signal of my interests/ability by doing small things in front of them (it may or may not result in a concrete example that gets in the LOR - but any chance really is good since the things you do are small anyways). This is because the LORs are usually more important than the personal statement, and there are many legit things we do that never get noticed by anyone (and consequently, adcoms will never see those things). And since professors have so little time, it is important to communicate as much information about yourself as possible in that short timeframe (information that isn't going to distract from your main points of conversation, of course).

Are there small things you do that could impress LOR-writers? I frequently bring over the textbooks from my other classes with me to meetings (not on intention though, but because I generally carry A LOT of things in my backpack), and this often makes the professor comment on the textbook in a positive way ("hey, i studied from that book too").

I also try to show them that I'm *really* trying to actively deal with my ADD (as in, actively take notes when other people would be content to simply remember what they listened, take pictures of things on the board, and even ask for permission to tape-record conversations). Again though, I do those since I actually need to do them.

Anyways, I hope that others will find the replies as helpful as I will.

Last edited by InquilineKea on Sat Dec 24, 2011 10:57 pm, edited 5 times in total.

InquilineKea wrote:Note: I'm not intending to send a false signal/"game the system" or anything - rather - I'm just trying to send them the true signal of my interests/ability by doing small things in front of them (it may or may not result in a concrete example that gets in the LOR - but any chance really is good since the things you do are small anyways). This is because the LORs are usually more important than the personal statement, and there are many legit things we do that never get noticed by anyone (and consequently, adcoms will never see those things). And since professors have so little time, it is important to communicate as much information about yourself as possible in that short timeframe (information that isn't going to distract from your main points of conversation, of course).

Are there small things you do that could impress LOR-writers? I frequently bring over the textbooks from my other classes with me to meetings (not on intention though, but because I generally carry A LOT of things in my backpack), and this often makes the professor comment on the textbook in a positive way ("hey, i studied from that book too"). Anyways, I hope that others will find the replies as helpful as I will.

Definitely that should add in your favour in a various of ways like-
1. Inquisitive nature
2. Cooperative
3. Desire to come out of comfortzones
4. Personal interaction increases
All these and more can be written in your favour for sure. Your Professor if loves literature then S/He would love to add all the beautiful adjectives found in English language.

InquilineKea wrote:Note: I'm not intending to send a false signal/"game the system" or anything - rather - I'm just trying to send them the true signal of my interests/ability by doing small things in front of them (it may or may not result in a concrete example that gets in the LOR - but any chance really is good since the things you do are small anyways). This is because the LORs are usually more important than the personal statement, and there are many legit things we do that never get noticed by anyone (and consequently, adcoms will never see those things). And since professors have so little time, it is important to communicate as much information about yourself as possible in that short timeframe (information that isn't going to distract from your main points of conversation, of course).

Are there small things you do that could impress LOR-writers? I frequently bring over the textbooks from my other classes with me to meetings (not on intention though, but because I generally carry A LOT of things in my backpack), and this often makes the professor comment on the textbook in a positive way ("hey, i studied from that book too").

I also try to show them that I'm *really* trying to actively deal with my ADD (as in, actively take notes when other people would be content to simply remember what they listened, take pictures of things on the board, and even ask for permission to tape-record conversations). Again though, I do those since I actually need to do them.

Anyways, I hope that others will find the replies as helpful as I will.

If you go out of your way to do something strictly so that a professor will see it and say, "Wow, what a go getter. The mental prowess to study from those books combined with the muscular fortitude to carry them around, even when unnecessary, tells me this is person is an exceptional human being" then you ought to be embarrassed.

With that said, I doubt something so insignificant will really sway your LOR writers in any way, positive or negative.